A few weeks ago, I wrote about the .CO Registry’s Founder’s Program, a program in which web developers with a great plan can be awarded a .CO domain name before others have the opportunity to acquire them. Techcrunch was recently awarded Disrupt.co, and the company has used the domain name for its Disrupt conference currently being held in New York City.
I just learned that Sedo has teamed up with the .CO Registry and together they will be auctioning off the premium, one letter domain name E.co, with the proceeds from this auction going to the charity of the winning bidder’s choice. As you may recall, E.biz was recently auctioned and the bidding ended at over $66,000.
The bidding for E.co will run from June 7 – June 10th, and it will conclude at 4pm. The auction coincides with Internet Week, an event in New York City that celebrates everything related to the Internet, including domain names. To give domain investors and others more of an opportunity to bid, the last hour of the auction “will be conducted live from Internet Week’s broadcast stage and simulcast at both the Internet Retailer (Chicago) and TRAFFIC (Vancouver) shows, allowing conference attendees at all three events and online participants from around the world to be a part of the action.”
With the proceeds of the domain auction going to a charity selected by the winning bidder, I think this is going to exceed the E.biz auction by a wide margin.
The full press release from Sedo is below and you can learn more about this by visiting E.co
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Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace, today announced it will support the highly anticipated introduction of the .CO top level domain name (TLD) by powering an historic charity auction for E.CO. The auction, which runs from June 7 at 12 pm EDT to June 10 at 4 pm EDT, will be hosted by .CO Internet S.A.S. at Internet Week, a festival in New York City celebrating all things Internet. The last hour of bidding – June 10 from 3-4 pm EDT — will be conducted live from Internet Week’s broadcast stage and simulcast at both the Internet Retailer (Chicago) and TRAFFIC (Vancouver) shows, allowing conference attendees at all three events and online participants from around the world to be a part of the action. All proceeds will go to the charity of the buyer’s choice.
“With the launch of .CO, we are witnessing the introduction of one of the most valuable domain extensions on the market — one that provides so many unique branding opportunities for Internet users across the globe,” said Kathy Nielsen, director of sales at Sedo.com. “We are excited to be part of this historic event and hope to leverage this unique opportunity to continue educating the market on the critical role a domain name strategy plays in the success of any marketing campaign.”
The .CO extension has been named one of the most highly anticipated domain launches since .COM, because of the infinite opportunities it provides Internet users, and its instant appeal given short, meaningful names are so rare and difficult to obtain. Considered a unique and exciting alternative to the .COM extension, .CO has many potential uses for Internet users looking to build or expand their brand online.
Many different types of organizations will be able to benefit from what .CO has to offer, including companies, communities, corporations and other commercial and/or non-profit endeavors. Some early adopters that have already started building websites on .CO domains include the popular political website Politico.com, which recently launched a branded url shortener at politi.co; and the popular blog TechCrunch, which is hosting the TechCrunch Disrupt 2010 conference at www.Disrupt.co.
The E.CO auction marks the beginning of a new era online — it is the very first .CO domain auction available, providing Internet users with a limited opportunity to purchase one of the shortest, most meaningful domain names in the world. Domain names of this nature are highly valuable because they are more memorable and extremely rare, presenting an incredible branding opportunity for marketers to successfully build or extend their web presence.
“Since the dawn of the Internet, the letter “e” has come to signify all things electronic – from email and e-commerce to online exploration, education and entertainment – and everything in between,” said Juan Diego Calle, CEO of .CO Internet S.A.S. When paired with the .CO domain, the letter “e” takes on an even greater significance – offering buyers “perhaps the shortest, most memorable digital brand in the world – a domain name with endless possibilities.”
“We are very excited to be working with a strong partner like Sedo to help us introduce the .CO domain to the world,” said Calle, “and we are confident that our work together will raise a lot of money for a very worthy charity – which is simply a fantastic way to celebrate our upcoming launch!”
To learn more about the .CO domain and the E.CO auction, please visit: www.e.co
About .CO
.CO Internet S.A.S. is the Registry Operator for the .CO top-level domain. .CO Internet was formed by a strategic venture between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc. The .CO domain offers individuals and businesses a truly global, recognizable and credible option in branding their online presence. Thanks to leading-edge technology, enhanced security and unprecedented rights protections for trademark owners, the .CO domain is poised to become the world’s next premier web address. For additional information, please visit www.COinternet.co.
About Sedo
Sedo, an acronym for “Search Engine for Domain Offers,” is the leading domain marketplace and monetization provider. Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Sedo has assembled the world’s largest database of domain names for sale, with more than 16 million listings. The success of Sedo’s model has attracted a global membership base of more than 1 million domain professionals. Sedo is owned by Sedo Holding AG (ISIN DE0005490155 / German WKN: 549015), which is part of the German United Internet AG (ISIN DE0005089031/ WKN 508903). Sedo offers regional versions of its site for the UK (Sedo.co.uk), France (Sedo.fr), Germany (Sedo.de), and Spain (Sedo.com). For additional information, please visit them online at www.Sedo.com or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Sedo and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Sedo.
Oftentimes, trademark holders and domain owners or investors have opposing viewpoints on domain ownership. Both parties frequently feel that they have the right to specific domain names, and the battles to get them can either be fought through a mediation-esque procedure like UDRP or through the legal system.